Jennifer Howes

jennifer.howes@lw.com

+1.858.523.5400

jennifer.howes@lw.com

Profile

Jennifer Howes advises clients on sophisticated technology and data issues.

Jennifer leverages a nuanced understanding of the broad constellation of US privacy laws and her commercial approach to risk-based analysis to help clients navigate matters involving:

Global data privacy
Cybersecurity
Fintech
Digital marketing and adtech
Social media
Enterprise software
Product development
Regulatory compliance
Artificial intelligence

A Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US and CIPP/E), she regularly provides strategic counseling on issues arising from the collection, use, sharing, and security of data. Jennifer guides clients on bringing new software and products to market; leveraging data in new ways; and complying with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), the EU/UK GDPR, US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requirements, and global digital marketing laws and frameworks.

Jennifer has substantial experience in complex M&A transactions, advising on privacy and data protection matters and conducting data privacy and cybersecurity diligence to assess potential liability and compliance issues, enable clients mitigate risk, and achieve seamless integration. She also helps clients create and implement privacy policies and programs designed to meet regulatory requirements and serve as strategic business assets.

A recognized leader within the firm, Jennifer serves on Latham’s Pro Bono Committee and Data Privacy Committee, and is an Executive Committee Member for the Bar Association of San Francisco’s Cybersecurity and Privacy Law Section.

Before joining Latham, Jennifer was an associate at a leading law firm in New Zealand, where she represented clients in privacy and employment-related claims and advised on compliance with APAC data protection laws, health information privacy, consumer protection, and data security incident response.

While in law school, Jennifer was a judicial extern for Magistrate Judge James L. Cott of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York and an extern at the Knight First Amendment Institute.

Experience

Jennifer’s experience includes advising:

CyberArk on its US$1.54 billion acquisition of Venafi
Perplexity AI on:
- Acquiring Spellwise, the developer of an AI writing assistant application
- Its Series B financing
HeyGen Technology on its Series A financing
Invictus Growth Partners on its majority investment in Revation Systems, a cloud-based engagement and communications solutions provider
Boldyn Networks on acquiring Apogee, an on-campus connectivity infrastructure provider
Purigen Biosystems on its acquisition by Bionano Genomics
Facebook on acquiring:
- Giphy, an online database and search engine that provides a library of animated GIFs and stickers
- Kustomer, a CRM platform that enables businesses to effectively manage all customer interactions across channels
Facebook Overseas on acquiring Mapillary, a Swedish street-level image-mapping platform, in a deep-dive diligence process around data privacy and intellectual property concerns, as well as commercial contracts reviews
NVIDIA on acquiring DeepMap, a provider of high-definition maps for autonomous vehicles
Intuit on:
- Its US$7.1 billion acquisition of Credit Karma
- Acquiring OneSaas, an Australian based SaaS integrations platform, including providing advice on post-close data integration, cross-border regulatory risks, and consumer protection issues
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), an entertainment company focused on the production and global distribution of film and TV content, on its US$8.45 billion sale to a multinational technology company
MNTN Maximum Effort Marketing, a Mercato Partners portfolio company, on acquiring Maximum Effort Marketing, a creative advertising shop
LionTree Investment Management, in its acquisition of advertising company Transmit.Live
Dragoneer Investment Group on its US$250 million investment in Tonal Systems, a provider of fitness equipment, workout plans, and classes
Silver Lake Partners on its:
- US$12.5 billion acquisition of Qualtrics, a provider of experience management (XM) software
- Equity investment, along with Digital Bridge Group, in Vantage Data Centers’ North America business
- US$650 million equity investment in Klarna, a Swedish provider of payments and shopping service
Marlin Equity Partners on:
- Selling a stake in Bazaarvoice, a provider of product reviews and user-generated content solutions
- Acquiring ProcessUnity, a leading provider of third-party risk and cybersecurity management software solutions
A China-based internet and social media company on general regulatory compliance and cyber security in connection with its cloud service products
The Raine Group, a global boutique investment bank, on regulatory aspects, including expansion throughout the world